Preparation and Stability of a Novel Paste-Like Effervescent System Based on Astaxanthin Paste

Towards the demand of edible emulsion-type ointment food and the problems of high energy consumption and cumbersome operation of the traditional preparation method of emulsion, a novel effervescent paste dosage form with fluidity and rapid dispersion was designed in this study. Astaxanthin (AST) effervescent paste was prepared with AST paste as model, tartaric acid and sodium bicarbonate as disintegrants, polyethylene glycol as paste matrix, Tween 80, soybean lecithin and gum arabic as compound emulsifiers. By measuring the key parameters such as particle size, PDI and zeta potential, the process optimization and characterization of the emulsion prepared by AST effervescent paste were carried out. The results showed that the optimal composition ratio of the effervescent paste was 55.00% disintegrant, 3.16% AST paste, 12.63% corn oil, 1.43% soybean lecithin, 4.30% gum arabic, 11.48% Tween 80 and 12.00% polyethylene glycol. The disintegration time of AST effervescent paste was 315.33 s. The particle size, PDI and zeta potential of AST emulsion were 87.82 nm, 0.101 and -44.83 mV, respectively. The droplets of the emulsion were spherical and uniformly distributed. AST emulsion showed a good performance in pH, ionic strength (NaCl), heat resistance, freeze-thaw and centrifugal stability, and no flocculation and demulsification occurred after treatment. Our findings proved that the effervescent paste can obtain stable emulsion by rapid effervescence, which laid a theoretical foundation for the research and development of novel paste products based on effervescent paste technology.